April 9, 2018 (Agua Dulce, Calif.): Temecula, CA. Biltwell Inc. came up with two special trophies for this year’s NORRA Mexican 1000. Both awards are for special Motorcycle racers: Iron Butt and La Cucaracha. The Biltwell “Gringo” and “Bonanza” helmets were hand-lettered by Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan in the traditional style, no cheesy vinyl graphics here! The Iron Butt award will go to the rider who has the hardest time and overcomes the worst odds. La Cucaracha is reserved for the motorcycle that seems the least likely to succeed, but still finishes. These unique trophies will be handed out at the awards ceremony in San Jose Del Cabo on Friday, April 27.

(photos by Biltwell Inc.)

(Above) The Biltwell, Inc. special hand-lettered awards helmets "La Cucaracha" & "Iron Butt" will be given out at the awards ceremony in San Jose del Cabo to two fortunate rally finishers.

The idea to race a Harley-Davidson Sportster was something the guys at Biltwell came up with around a fire pit at the Cuatro Casas Surf Hostel last summer. While known more for street-oriented chopper parts and accessories, this crew definitely has it’s roots firmly in the dirt. Company co-founder Bill Bryant has been pitting on and off since 1983 and has raced both Class 11 bugs and a Class 12 buggy over the years, but this will be the first time ever competing on a motorcycle in Baja. “We’ve done everything we can think of to increase it’s chances of survival, but at the end of the day it is still a 500lb Harley, so it’s gonna be a challenge. We’ve got a great team of amateur riders and an our only goals are to finish the race and have fun!” says Bryant.

The bike, dubbed the “Frijole 883” started life as low-mileage cream puff the Biltwell boys found on Craigslist. Team mechanic Rob “Rouser” Galan and the crew began work on the project in October and have been testing out in Barstow in preparation for their first Mexican 1000. The front suspension is a modded Honda CRF250 fork and the rear is a Roll Design-modifed H-D swingarm with Elka shocks. Biltwell made the pipe from scratch with a sectioned Super-Trap muffler. The seat was custom shaped by Duane Ballard in lake Elsinore, CA. Rear sprocket is an enormous 65-tooth unit. The crew’s favorite modification was the slipper clutch from Rekluse.

(Above) The Biltwell Inc. awards helmets aren't the only hand-lettered items from their shop. Some nice art on the Harley complimenting their well built products, no vinyl graphics here either.

Riding duties will be split between four riders: Bill Bryant (50, Murrieta, CA), Erik Westergaard (49, Temecula, CA), Mike Deutsch (40, Lake Elsinore,CA) and Chris Moeller (47, San Clemente, CA) Why so many riders? “It’s supposed to be fun, and we have no idea how hard it’s really gonna be on this bike, so we figured we’d spread the workload across a bunch of us” Bryant said. So, keep an eye out for the red, white and green Harley somewhere near the back of the pack…

REGISTER BEFORE YOU ARRIVE!

Login to your existing NORRA account, or create a new NORRA account at www.norra.com/member/member_home.php. Have picture images (.jpg, .bmp, or .png) of your Driver's License, Passport and Health Insurance Card ready to upload to your profile. Have your race radio frequency handy as well as your emergency contact phone numbers. Determine what category your vehicle should be competing in (refer to 2018 rules at www.norra.com/rules_current.php). Update and complete the 'My Profile' and 'My Vehicle' sections of your account. Once, pre-registration opens, it should be as easy as selecting your vehicle and choosing your preference of payment option. Upon completion of registration you will receive a confirmation email and see your entry online.

Beginning in 2010, the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA) began promoting a rebirth of the NORRA Mexican 1000 rally. The unique off-road rally was co-created by promoter Mike Pearlman to consist of special stages (unlimited speed timed stages in the dirt) linked together by controlled speed liaison / transit sections (highway). The one-of-a-kind, once-a-year, four-day rally includes vintage off-road vehicles and motorcycles, as well as modern desert Rally Raid cars, pre-runner trucks, buggies and motorcycles.

Pearlman's late father Ed and others established the first running of the NORRA Mexican 1000 off-road rally in November of 1967, which eventually became internationally recognized and evolved into the Baja 1000 in the mid-1970's.